Preview: OPENING NIGHT! Phantoms vs. Wolf Pack

Lehigh Valley Phantoms vs. Hartford Wolf Pack
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
October 12, 2024 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #1

TODAY – It’s the beginning of the 2024-25 season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms play their Opening Night game against the Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers. A wild rally-towel atmosphere and live music will ring in the season as the team celebrates its 11th season in downtown Allentown. This also the 29th season of the Phantoms franchise beginning with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 1996.

Lehigh Valley and Hartford will meet six times in the 2024-25 regular season including a rematch in just two weeks on October 25 in Connecticut. Many of the players in tonight’s game saw each other four weeks ago during the NHL Rookie Series at PPL Center in which the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers split a pair of extra-time decisions on September 13 and 14.

LAST YEAR – Lehigh Valley (32-31-9) qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive season and advanced to the division semifinals following an exciting 2-0 sweep of the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Jacob Gaucher’s overtime-clinching goal in Game 2 at PPL Center. The Phantoms bowed out in the next round 3 games to 1 against Hershey.

Hartford (34-28-10) finished fifth in the Atlantic Division and knocked off the Charlotte Checkers in the opening round. and then the Providence Bruins in the semifinals 3 games to 1 before they were eliminated in the Division Finals by Hershey 3 games to 0.

Lehigh Valley was 2-3-1 against Hartford last year including 2-1-0 at PPL Center. Rangers first-rounder Brennan Othmann paced all scorers in the season series producing 3-6-9 including an overtime winner against the Phantoms on December 2, 2023 in Hartford. Olle Lycksell racked up 5-1-6 against the Wolf Pack on the season series while Samu Tuomaala scored 2-3-5 including his first career overtime goal on November 3, 2023 at PPL Center.

OPENING NIGHT ROSTER – Ian Laperrière enters his fourth season as head coach of a Phantoms team that advanced to the division semifinals of the Calder Cup playoffs last season. 28 players will begin the regular season with Lehigh Valley. There are 20 returning players who were members of that team for all or part of the season including captain Garrett Wilson and alternate captain Louie Belpedio. Also returning are leading scorers Cooper Marody, Olle Lycksell, Ronnie Attard as well as AHL All-Star Classic Representative Samu Tuomaala plus many more familiar faces.

Some of the exciting newcomers include forward Anthony Richard who has scored 55 goals in the last two seasons with Providence and Laval, rookie forward Massimo Rizzo from the University of Denver, plus big forwards Rodrigo Abols from Latvia and Oskar Eklind from Sweden as well as goaltender Eetu Makiniemi from Finland. Defenseman Hunter McDonald and goaltender Alexei Kolosov are a pair of young prospects who return after joining late last season.

MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for both teams and the AHL at the following link.

https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/

TRANSACTIONS – The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from Lehigh Valley. Additionally, forward Jacques Bouquot has been loaned to the Reading Royals of the ECHL., The Phantoms roster now stands at 28 players.

WHO’S IT GONNA BE? – Who will join this list in scoring the first Phantoms goal at PPL Center this season?
2014 Scott Laughton
2015 Aaron Palushaj
2016 Mark Zengerle
2017 Danick Martel
2018 Greg Carey
2019 Kurtis Gabriel
2020-21 Zayde Wisdom
2021 Max Willman
2022 Hayden Hodgson
2023 Cooper Marody

OPENING NIGHT FLASHBACK – Lehigh Valley’s record for most goals on Opening Night is 7. The Phantoms defeated the Hershey Bears 7-2 on October 7, 2017. Danick Martel scored the first-ever Opening Night hat trick in Lehigh Valley history!

OPENING NIGHT HISTORY – Lehigh Valley is 5-4-1 on Opening Night at PPL Center and 6-4-0 overall in season openers (including beginning the season on the road).
The Phantoms franchise is 18-8-2 in home openers since the beginning of the Philadelphia Phantoms in 1996. The Phantoms are 19-9-0 overall in season openers.

The first-ever goal scored at PPL Center was by Scott Laughton for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms against the Adirondack Flames on October 17, 2024. The Phantoms won in overtime 4-3

The first goal in franchise history was scored by Peter White on October 4, 1996: Philadelphia Phantoms at Springfield Falcons. White would become the all-time leading scorer in franchise history.

COMING UP – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms play their first away game of the season on Friday, October 18 at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a rematch of last year’s exciting playoff series. The Phantoms and Penguins will rematch at PPL Center on Saturday, October 19 on Oktoberfest Night including a live polka band and a stein giveaway presented by Max and Butters.

UPCOMING

Saturday, October 12 – Opening Night! – Phantoms vs. Hartford Wolf Pack – Rally Towels

Friday, October 18 – Phantoms at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Saturday, October 19 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Oktoberfest. Phantoms Steins from Max and Butters

 

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms officially begin the 2024-25 season with Opening Night at PPL Center on October 12 against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

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